I have always been fascinated with the work of Mathew Brady, Edward S.
Curtis, and that of Orlando Scott Goff. Mr. Goff was a wet plate
artist located here in Bismarck in the 1870's and is credited with taking
the very first photograph of Sitting Bull. I contacted Ernie LaPointe
the Great Grandson of Sitting Bull and he paid a visit to my makeshift wet
plate studio. He explained much of the history of his people and their
ways and this journey started with his plate "Eternal Field".
I
quickly set a goal of making 50 large 8x10" black glass ambrotypes of the
Native American community in modern day. I have since abandoned the 50
plate limit and plan on making wet plates of this fabulous culture for the
rest of my days. It is a huge honor to follow
in the footsteps of previous wet plate photographers that had similar series
in the 19th Century. On my journey, I have befriended Dakota Goodhouse
a local historian and instructor at United Tribes as well as Margaret Landin.
They have been instrumental in being a liaison between myself and the
different members of the tribes. Margaret has been present for most of the portrait
sessions.
Her role is to make sure that all the Native American elements that I am
photographing are presented properly with dignity and respect. I also am working very closely with Lindsay Schott and
Emily Schultz, both Archive Specialists at the Heritage Center. Their
undying dedication to capturing all things historical in North Dakota is
inspiring. The
plates that I make are being gifted to the Historical Society and their permanent archive. This is not
something that is going to be accomplished overnight, but as I add more and
more plates, the series seems to have more significance. My goal is to
eventually publish a book showcasing the collection of plates. The
Bismarck Art Gallery Association (BAGA) has their main gallery set aside for
a formal exhibition to celebrate these wonderful people which will start on
October 31st, 2017. I am proud to be on this creative
path and will do whatever it takes to make the people of this great state
proud.